2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report
Decoding Flexibility of Motor Control by Studying Amphibious Locomoion
Project/Area Number |
16H02351
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Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A)
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Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
Section | 一般 |
Research Field |
Control engineering/System engineering
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Research Institution | Tohoku University |
Principal Investigator |
Ishiguro Akio 東北大学, 電気通信研究所, 教授 (90232280)
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Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
青沼 仁志 北海道大学, 電子科学研究所, 准教授 (20333643)
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Project Period (FY) |
2016-04-01 – 2020-03-31
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Keywords | 水陸両用ロコモーション / 自律分散制御 / ムカデ / 歩行 / 遊泳 |
Outline of Final Research Achievements |
Amphibious animals traverse different environmental media by flexibly changing the coordination of body movements. However, the neural mechanisms underlying flexible motor control in amphibious locomotion remain elusive. Here, we focused on a centipede (Scolopendra subspinipes mutilans) and explore the interplay between central and peripheral control mechanisms during transition between walking on land and swimming in water. Based on the findings obtained through behavioral experiments, we hypothesized that walking or swimming signals generated in the brain are sent posteriorly via distributed neural networks belonging to the central nervous systems and located along the body; these brain signals, can be overridden by sensory signals felt by the peripheral nervous system of the legs when they touch the ground during waling. We described this mechanism mathematically, and well reproduced the behavior of centipedes in different situations through computer simulations.
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Free Research Field |
数理生物学,ロボティクス
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Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements |
歩行と遊泳のように,異なる運動パターンを環境に応じて切り替える動物種は数多く存在する.この運動パターンの切り替えには,脳からの運動指令のみならず,脳より下位の神経ネットワークや,身体各所で得られた感覚情報の神経系へのフィードバックが重要な役割を果たしている.本研究で得られた知見は,これらの連関のありようの理解につながる成果であり,ムカデのみならずさまざまな動物種に共通する,環境に応じた運動パターンの遷移の機序解明につながると期待される.さらに,本研究で得られた高い環境適応能力の発現機序は,移動ロボットの稼働環境の著しい拡幅化にもつながる基盤技術となることも併せて期待できる.
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